Nuggets seek revenge against Trail Blazers (Dec 15, 2016)
Everything was set up for a great start to the home schedule. The Denver Nuggets led Portland by two points in the final seconds Oct. 29, and one more stop would give them a 2-0 record and a win in their home opener.
A defensive breakdown led to Damian Lillard's wide-open layup to send it into overtime and the Trail Blazers went on to win and spoil the night for Denver fans.
Nearly eight weeks later, the Nuggets have a chance to exact revenge when the teams meet Thursday night at Pepsi Center.
Both teams are trying to reverse a downturn to their seasons. The Blazers (13-14) got a big win against Oklahoma City on Tuesday to end a four-game losing streak while Denver (9-16) had one of its worst outings in a blowout loss in Dallas on Monday.
Portland held Thunder superstar Russell Westbrook in check in the 114-95 victory Tuesday, building some important momentum before heading to Denver.
"I think our minds was right," Damian Lillard told The Oregonian. "We knew we needed to come in and get a win (before) going back on the road again."
The Trail Blazers face a team struggling to save its season just a quarter of the way through the schedule. The Nuggets lost eight of their last 11, none more disappointing than the 112-92 loss in Dallas to wrap up a six-game road trip. The Mavericks, despite having the fewest wins in the NBA, dominated the game. They scored 65 in the first half against a seemingly non-existent Denver defense.
"Our one-on-one defense is pathetic right now," Nuggets coach Michael Malone told The Denver Post. "We don't take pride in it. We allow guys just to back us down and score way too easy."
The defense might get a boost against Portland. Guard Gary Harris may return after missing the last 16 games with a foot injury. He missed 20 games overall with the foot and groin injuries and said Wednesday he has a "pretty good" chance of playing against the Trail Blazers.
His return bolsters the perimeter defense, but how much he plays is a question. He has been out since Nov. 12 and conditioning is an issue. However, having to go against the backcourt of Lillard and C.J. McCollum, the Nuggets can use all available bodies against the Trail Blazers.
For Portland, a sixth straight win against Denver will help it get pointed in the right direction. The win over the first-place Thunder was nice, but the Trail Blazers want to get some momentum going before heading to Golden State on Saturday night.
Portland should know by Thursday if it will have forward Al-Farouq Aminu back. He was a late scratch against Oklahoma City with a sore back initially hurt against Memphis last week, and with the Trail Blazers having played Monday the quick turnaround prompted him to be in street clothes.
The Trail Blazers may not need him against the Nuggets, who are struggling with ball security and consistency. If Denver wants to make a serious run at its first playoff berth in four years, it has to start at home Thursday.
"You just throw this one out the window," Emmanuel Mudiay told The Denver Post after Monday's loss. "We played horrible. ... But we got to let this one go and try to move forward in a positive way."
